Männer mit Hüten (Men Wearing Hats [p. 82] 

Max Beckmann made this sketch, 'Männer mit Hüten,' or 'Men with Hats,' with graphite on paper. We cannot put a date to it, but it most likely originated in Germany between the two World Wars. Beckmann was deeply affected by his experiences as a medical volunteer in World War I. The trauma of that conflict, combined with the social and political turmoil of the Weimar Republic, fueled his expressionist style. Here, the men’s faces are scribbled and difficult to see clearly; their hats imply their social standing as members of the bourgeoisie. The sketch might ask if, even en masse, members of the middle class could ever truly be individuals. To understand Beckmann's work fully, one could look at the artist’s biography and other artworks, as well as the social history of Germany during the interwar period. Art history reminds us that meaning emerges from a work's historical and cultural context.